New face of Chechen capital — RT News New face of Chechen capital Published time: 6 Oct, 2011 01:34 Edited time: 6 Oct, 2011 09:06 Get short URL "Grozny City" complex of tall buildings (RIA Novosti / Said Tzarnaev) / RIA Novosti Just a few years ago Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, lay in ruins following years of fighting that blighted the city during the 1990s. Fast forward to the present day, though, and an attractive modern city stands where there used to be only rubble. Tags Investment , Anniversary , Russia , Travel , Politics , History , War witness , Modernization , Construction A big celebration took place last night in the Chechen Republic’s capital, with massive celebrations marking City Day. But there is more than one just day of shows to impress visitors to Grozny. The city has gone through a massive transformation since being devastated by two conflicts against extremists in the 1990s. Just 10 years have passed and Grozny has gone from a ruined battlefield to a glamorous city.

Chechnya's leader Ramzan Kadyrov is known far beyond his hometown. He is viewed as an authoritarian ruler in the West, but is an effective manager by many fellow Chechens. And he is ambitious. His vision is to raise devastated Grozny from the ashes and make it the “Dubai of the Caucasus”. “I never thought it would be possible in such a short amount of time,” says local resident Magomed Magomedov. “What’s happened is some kind of miracle, I can’t believe my eyes.” The proudest achievement is Grozny City – a complex of international class hotels and business centers. When they were first proposed there was a lot of skepticism as to whether they would ever be built. Many people thought it was just a pipedream. But today, five gleaming towers are at the heart of the reconstruction of Grozny and a symbol of the city’s recovery following the destruction wrought at the beginning of the millennium. But Kadyrov wants to do more than just put up buildings. He is aiming to raise the city's profile on a global scale.

Since the start of the year he has attempted to grab the world's attention by inviting stars from the world of sport and show business to spend time in Grozny. “We've opened a stadium, a youth centre, an ice palace, and a few cinemas, so people don't see other places on TV and think it's better there than here. On the contrary, we want people to come to us,” says Ramzan Kadyrov. It is not the first time Grozny has been rocked by large scale events. In May, legendary footballers Diego Maradona and Luis Figo took part in the grand opening of the city’s stadium. Before that other international starts like Roberto Carlos came to the region. Some 10 years ago it would have been hard to believe that such glamorous and high profile events could take place on Chechen soil. Now it has almost become a tradition. Chechnya has seen massive progress, but there are still challenges. Terrorism remains a big problem here with attacks taking place on a regular basis. But locals are putting their hope in investment. They believe if Chechnya attracts more money from outside and the quality of life continues to improve, eradicating terrorism will no longer seem like “mission impossible”.

Grozny travel guide - Wikitravel 11 Get out WARNING: While the security situation is improving, travel to Grozny is still not advised. Grozny ( Russian : Гро́зный GROHZ-nyh) is the capital city of the Russian republic of Chechnya . Grozny has undergone a massive rebuilding and development program since the end of the Second Chechen War in 2002. Many of the shelled and abandoned apartment blocs and houses have been demolished and replaced with newer re-built buildings and suburbs. Grozny was originally a Russian fortress/garrison town, whose name in English is roughly translated as "formidable". The city was nearly completely destroyed as a result of the Chechen separatist wars of the 1990s and early 2000s. The United Nations declared Grozny 'the most destroyed city on Earth' in 2002. After coming under federal control in the early 2000s, Grozny has been completely rebuilt. Understand[ edit ] Grozny, 1995 Grozny was originally founded in 1818 as a Russian fort.

It was a major stronghold for the Russians during the Caucasian Wars of 1818-1864. During the early 20th century, the population boomed as the city's rich oil reserves brought numerous Russian settlers from other parts of the country to work in the city. During World War II, Josef Stalin accused the Chechens of collaborating with Nazi Germany. Stalin subsequently deported the entire Chechen population in 1944 to northern Kazakhstan, killing nearly a third of the population in the process. The Chechens were allowed to return to Chechnya after Stalin's death in 1953. Following the liberalizing policies of Mikhail Gorbachev's 'perestroika', dissident separatists within Chechnya began calling for independence. With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Chechnya declared independence from the newly formed Russian Federation in November of that year. Led by former Soviet Air Force General Dzhokhar Dudayev, Chechnya acted as a de-facto independent state from 1991-1994.

Moscow attempted to regain federal authority over the republic and remove Dudayev from power with a massive ill-fated assault on Grozny on December 31, 1994. Heavy fighting over the next two years reduced Grozny to rubble as most of the population were either killed or forced to flee the city. A ceasefire signed in 1996 effectively ended the fighting and resulted in Moscow withdrawing its forces from the republic. Chechnya again gained a degree of de-facto independence from 1996-1999. However, the period was marked by rampant crime and kidnappings. Devastated by the war, Grozny became one of the world's most dangerous cities, marked by the number of mass abductions that occurred in the city during the period. This culminated in the kidnapping and beheading of several Western aide workers in 1998. Chechnya's economy was in ruins and it's government ineffective as rival clans and armed militias frequently battled each other on the streets of Grozny.

Without international recognition and with the loss of its credibility in the West, Islamic extremists from the Arab world began to quickly gain influence with several former rebel commanders, including the noted terrorist Shamil Basayev. Basayev's invasion of the neighboring republic of Dagestan and a series of bombings in Moscow precipitated the Second Chechen War in September 1999. The ensuing fighting and the recapture of Grozny by federal authorities left the city nearly completely destroyed. Grozny has slowly been rebuilt under the supervision of Chechnya's Moscow-backed leader, Ramzan Kadyrov. The security situation has stabilized in recent years and the city's redevelopment continues at a rapid pace. Get in[ edit ] Due to the devastation caused by years of war, Grozny's transportation is often tricky. However, since reconstruction projects began, it's possible to take a flight to the city or use a train, bus or the convenient highway system. By plane[ edit ] Rusline is one airline with regular flights between Moscow and Grozny, and Grozny Avia is the second airline with regular flights between Istanbul and Grozny, although it may be difficult if not impossible for non-Russian visitors to gain authorization to travel to Chechnya.

The flights to Grozny are extremely guarded since the war and 9/11, so expect delays. By train[ edit ] A night train departs from Moscow every second day, taking two nights. Due to terrorist threats, the train is heavily guarded, expect delays and hassles. Also, there is a night train from Rostov-on-the-Don and a day train from Astrakhan . Local trains connect with Khasavyurt and Gudermes. By car[ edit ] Grozny is connected to the rest of Russia by a large highway system. The P-308, P-307 and M-29 highways connect the city to other cities in Russia. Keep in mind that it's best to take a map with you, or else you can get lost. By bus[ edit ] A bus usually leaves from Nazran to Grozny and other cities in the Caucasus region of Russia , so remember when you are going to stop. Get around[ edit ] It's very difficult to get around Grozny since the tram and trolley systems were destroyed during the siege of Grozny .

The tram is not expected to re-open, but the trolley re-opened in 2012. The trolley still has not fully developed, so it's advised to use a car to travel in the city. There is a (religious) taxi company operating in the city called Islam, which uses green-painted cars. See[ edit ][ add listing ] The main attraction to Grozny is the Grozny Central Dome Mosque, which was recently completed and is the largest mosque in Russia. Another attraction you may also want to see is the Church of St. Michael the Archangel which has been recently been renovated after being almost destroyed during the war. Another good place to go is to Downtown Grozny which features many lights and newly-opened shops and restaurants that offer good prices. There are also many stands that sell fruit and beer. Sleep[ edit ][ add listing ] A good and cheap hotel to find in Grozny is the Hotel Arena City, a new hotel built by the government. The hotel is new and modern, and has many essentials you can find in other hotels in the rest of the country. Many other hotels are being built.

It's important to note though that rebels keep an eye on the hotels like a hawk, so be careful and try not to look suspicious. Hostel in Grozny, Grozny street M.Visaitova 100, ☎ +79993980195, [1] . Grozny- hostel For a good rest, and a warm atmosphere , it makes sense to choose the best hostel in the Chechen Republic . Hostel in Grozny - a new , bright, modern hostel in the center of Grozny , the hostel offers European comfort and present Caucasian hospitality ! 5$. edit Safety[ edit ] Grozny has only partly stabilized enough to be safe for travel. Take extreme caution when visiting war-torn areas as there are some unexploded land-mines. Rebels often take tourists as hostages, so try to blend in with the population. Just use common sense. People in Chechnya are very modern and friendly. If you get lost or need help you can easily find a police officer outside and he will help you with anything. Many foreign governments, including the UK, Canadian and US governments, strongly warn their citizens not to travel to Chechnya under any circumstances.

They report that there have been many incidents of their citizens visiting there as well as Russian citizens being missing, killed, or kidnapped for ransom. Get out[ edit ] Argun — Argun is a city that is just a few miles east of Grozny. Just take the highway if you want to visit Argun. Chechnya travel guide - Wikitravel Understand[ edit ] Nominally part of Russia since the early 19th century, fiercely independent Chechnya has been in a near constant state of rebellion ever since the approach of Russian power. At times throughout the history of this conflict, including very recent times, Chechen rebellion has spread to neighboring regions and threatened the specter of a multi ethnic Muslim rebellion across the entire northern Caucasus. What is most important for the traveler is that the anti-Russian violence as well as the Russian military response have been spectacularly brutal, purposely victimizing whomever is most vulnerable. One of the most traumatic episodes of violence took place following the Second World War, when Stalin accused Chechens of collaborating with the Nazis and mass deported the entire ethnic Chechen populace to the cold steppe of northern Kazakhstan .

Needless to say, provisions were not made to ensure that the deported Chechens had a good chance of surviving the deportation. Survivors were allowed to return under Khruschev. In one of the most horrific events of recent times, the radical Chechen rebel leader Shamil Basayev ordered his commandos to take an elementary school in Beslan, North Ossetia hostage, resulting in a shocking massacre of innocent schoolchildren. On a lighter note, Chechnya is a country of extraordinary beauty, full of majestic mountains with lush vegetation and auls (mountaintop villages) rising above the tree lines; rapid rivers have cut spectacular gorges throughout the region. Chechen culture is distinctly romantic and chivalric. It is at once steeped in Islamic Sufi mysticism and in the macho codes of hardy mountain tribes. The Chechens have a distinct culture of Caucasian music and dance. The Chechens traditionally follow a strict code of honor and hospitality to accepted guests; unyielding hostility and violence towards enemies. All this could make Chechnya an intoxicating destination for the truly adventurous, but the present security situation should rule out this destination to all but the hardiest of travellers.

The present situation is taking an improvement, however on a light scale. The region is headed by the autocratic Kadyrov family. More recently, the government has allowed foreign companies to develop, if neglected rich oil resources, which have brought wealth to the country. Yet, the money falls in the hands of a few people. While Grozny is full of new construction and a rising middle-class, much of the region remains poor. Corruption is considerably ubiquitous compared to some of it's neighbors. By plane[ edit ] Chechnya's airport is finally open again for the first time since the start of the First Chechen War. Planes to Grozny leave 3 times a week from Moscow 's Vnukovo airport. Estimated flying time is 2 hours and 30 minutes. By train[ edit ] A train leaves from/to Moscow once every 2 days. This train is under heavy security by the Russian military so expect long delays and possibly other hassles. Caution must be exercised when traveling by rail in Chechnya due to potential terrorist attacks. In 2005 a train traveling from Moscow to Chechnya was derailed during a bombing.

Stay safe[ edit ] Many foreign governments, including the UK, Canadian and US governments, strongly warn their citizens not to travel to Chechnya under any circumstances. However, the security situation has improved significantly and most of the separatist activity has been quelled by Kadyrov's government. If you stay on the major highways and visit cities along the way, you should be safe. If you decide to go into some rural areas, make sure you are accompanied, preferably by a local who knows the area really well. Before travelling to Chechnya, register with your embassy and make sure they are aware of your travel plans. Stay healthy[ edit ] The civil war may be over in Chechnya, but the situation is far from secure and basic necessities are often relatively scarce. It would be wise for one to assume that some necessities may not be available there, so get everything you really need before traveling to the region. Working plumbing, heat, and electricity are commodities in parts of Chechnya due to a failing infrastructure that is the result of years of conflict. Be sure to sanitize all water or bring bottled water. Respect[ edit ] Hospitality and respect for guests is a source of pride for the average Chechen.

Remember that Chechnya is a strongly patriarchal Sunni Muslim society, so try to behave accordingly. Women travellers are advised to exercise particular caution - dress appropriately (no exposed body parts except your hands and head) and - for lone female travelers - consider reliable protection services. Mobile[ edit ] In Chechnya there are two russian federal GSM operators (Beeline,Megafon) and they often have offers that give you a SIM card for free or at least very cheap. If you are planning to stay a while and to keep in touch with locals, you should consider buying a local SIM card instead of going on roaming. If you buy a SIM card from a shop you'll need your passport for identification. Chechnya | Define Chechnya at Dictionary.com chechnya Expand Chechnya [(chech-nee-uh)] A predominantly Muslim region in southern Russia , which declared its independence from Russia after the breakup of the Soviet Union . After unsuccessfully invading Chechnya in 1994, Russia renewed its attack in 1999 and took the capital city, Grozny. But Chechen guerrillas (see guerrilla warfare ) continue to harass Russian troops in Chechnya.

Russians believe that Chechens have been behind terrorist attacks in Moscow . (See terrorism .) Most nations recognize Chechnya as part of Russia. The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Examples from the Web for chechnya Expand Capital of Rebel Chechnya Grozny City in 2016 | English Russia Capital of Rebel Chechnya Grozny City in 2016 Posted on July 17, 2016 by marina Grozny City is not like any one of the Russian cities. Wide roads, no mangy five-story building, a lot of cafes and restaurants. And it's in a small provincial town of small region! Of course, everyone knows the story of Grozny, it was destroyed almost to the ground. But it had been restored. Today it is the safest city in Russia. Across the network: 1.The monument at the entrance to the city. *Grozny* 3. Construction of new buildings continues here day and night.

Advertisement Chechnya Republic, Russia guide 7 October, 2011 / The celebrations of City day in Grozny . News, notes and thoughts: 12 May, 2011 / Diego Maradona took to the field Wednesday to captain a team of retired superstars in a ceremonial match to mark the opening of a new stadium in Chechnya . Chechnya history Chechnya and the Russian Empire In the 13th century, as a result of the Mongol invasion, the ancestors of the Chechens were forced to leave the plains and go to the mountains. In the 14th century, the Chechens formed an early feudal state called Simsir. Later it was destroyed by the troops of Tamerlane. After the collapse of the Golden Horde, the plains of present Chechnya came under the control of the Kabardian and Dagestani feudals. Until the 16th century, forced to leave flat lands, the Chechens lived mainly in the mountains.

From the 16th century, the Chechens gradually began to return from the mountains to the plains of Chechnya, in the valley of the Terek River, the banks of the Sunzha and the Argun rivers. At the same time, the expansion of the Russian state in the North Caucasus began, following the defeat of the Astrakhan Khanate. More Historical Facts… During the reign of Peter I, the Russian army for the first time came to the Chechen land. In the early 18th century, Chechens received their name in the Russian sources - after the name of the village of Chechen-Aul. The first military campaigns did not pursue the goal of accession Chechnya to Russia. It was a response to the constant attacks of the Chechens on the Terek Cossack settlements. The Chechens earned a reputation of dangerous brigands constantly harassing the country’s borders. From 1721 to 1783, punitive expeditions of Russian troops in Chechnya to pacify “unruly” tribes became systematic. In the 19th century, after the Caucasian War, most of Chechnya became part of the Russian Empire.

Chechnya and the USSR At the end of the 1930s, Chechnya and Ingushetia regions were combined and the united Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Republic was formed. In 1944, most of the Chechens and Ingush were deported to Kazakh SSR (present Kazakhstan) and Kirghiz SSR (Kyrgyzstan). The official reason of Stalin’s decision was that it was a punishment for cooperating with Nazi Germany during the Second World War. Later, after 1956, the surviving Chechens and Ingush were allowed to return to their homeland according to Khrushchev’s de-Stalinization program. In the mid-1980s, national movements intensified in many republics of the Soviet Union including the Chechen-Ingush Republic. The leader of the local movement was Dzhokhar Dudayev, a major general of the Soviet Air Force. Boris Yeltsin, the first president of Russia, argued that Chechnya could not gain independence because in Soviet times the region was always part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.

Another reason was that if Chechnya could gain independence then some other regions of Russia (for example, Tatarstan) would also like to gain independence. The first Chechen war In 1991, Chechnya declared its independence and Dzhokhar Dudayev was elected president. The Congress of People’s Deputies of Russia declared the election illegal. Boris Yeltsin issued a decree imposing a state of emergency in the republic. In response, Dudayev declared martial law and ordered the creation of armed self-defense units. November 9, 1991, transport planes with Russian soldiers landed in Khankala airport but they were blocked by the Chechen self-defense units. Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus announced support for Chechnya. The Russian government had to negotiate with the separatists and achieved the withdrawal of troops blocked in Khankala. All Russian troops stationed in Chechnya were withdrawn, and most of the weapons, including tanks and aircraft, got into the hands of separatists. The region was actually split into two: Chechnya and Ingushetia. Chechnya de facto became an independent republic, but it was not recognized by any country in the world, including Russia.

Later, in 1994, the first Chechen war began, it lasted for more than two years. Russia fought to stop Chechnya from seceding while the Chechens fought for their independence. The Russian army had more human resources, artillery, air support but it could not effectively control mountain areas where Chechen guerrillas operated. April 21, 1996, Chechen President Dzhokhar Dudayev was killed in an airstrike. August 31, 1996, in the Russian city of Khasavyurt, a representative of Russia (Alexander Lebed) and a representative of Chechnya (Aslan Maskhadov) signed a peace agreement, according to which the Russian troops were withdrawn from Chechnya, and the decision on the republic status was delayed for five years (until December 31, 2001). Chechnya again became de facto an independent but not-recognized state. The second Chechen war In 1997, Aslan Maskhadov was elected as the president of Chechnya. He continues to strengthen the independence of Chechnya but at the same time asked for Russian help to rebuild the war-torn republic.

Russia transferred money intended for the restoration of the republic, pensions, maintaining hospitals and schools. Later, in August 1999, Chechen forces launched an attack on neighboring Dagestan Republic trying to help Shura of Dagestan who wanted Dagestan to be independent from Russia. In September 1999, several bombs were detonated in apartment buildings in Moscow and other Russian cities. The Chechens were accused of these terrorist acts and the second Chechen war began. At this time, the Russian army was better prepared. It could establish control over all parts of Chechnya. In February, 2000, Grozny, the capital of the republic, was captured. Today, the Chechen resistance is almost completely suppressed. However, terrorist attacks continue to occur in the North Caucasus. Beautiful nature of Chechnya Author: Imran Baino Chechnya features The Chechen Republic is located in the North Caucasus, in the valleys of the Terek and Sunzha rivers. In the northern districts there are steppes and semi-deserts (Terek-Kuma Lowland), in the center - forest-steppe plains (Chechen Plain), in the south - the Caucasus Mountains.

Mountain ranges, valleys and intermountain basins cover about 35% of the territory of the republic. Mountains occupy the entire southern part forming a band 30-50 km width. In the south Chechnya borders Georgia. From north to south of the Chechen Republic stretches 170 km, from west to east - more than 100 km. The largest cities and towns are Grozny (283,700), Urus-Martan (57,000), Shali (52,000), Gudermes (52,000), Argun (35,000). The climate is continental. Chechnya is characterized by a considerable variety of climatic conditions. The average January temperature is between minus 3 degrees Celsius on the Terek-Kuma Lowland and minus 12 degrees Celsius in the mountains, the average temperature in July - plus 25 and 21 degrees Celsius respectively. Oil and natural gas sector dominates in the structure of the economy of the Chechen Republic. There are about 30 oil and natural gas fields in the region.

Crops, vineyards, vegetables, poultry farming, and sheep breeding are the basis of agriculture. Chechnya pictures Chechnya | republic, Russia | Britannica.com Chechnya Alternative Titles: Chechen-Ingush A. S. S. R., Chechen-Ingushetia, Chechenia, Checheno-Ingushetia, Chechnia Related Topics Europe Chechnya, also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, republic in southwestern Russia , situated on the northern flank of the Greater Caucasus range. Chechnya is bordered by Russia proper on the north, Dagestan republic on the east and southeast, the country of Georgia on the southwest, and Ingushetiya republic on the west. In the early 21st century, more than a decade of bitter conflict had devastated the republic, forced the mass exodus of refugees, and brought the economy to a standstill. Area 4,750 square miles (12,300 square km). Pop. (2008 est.) 1,209,040. Chechnya, republic of Russia. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Land Chechnya falls into three physical regions from south to north. In the south is the Greater Caucasus, the crest line of which forms the republic’s southern boundary. The highest peak is Mount Tebulosmta (14,741 feet [4,493 metres]), and the area’s chief river is the Argun , a tributary of the Sunzha. The second region is the foreland, consisting of the broad valleys of the Terek and Sunzha rivers, which cross the republic from the west to the east, where they unite. Third, in the north, are the level, rolling plains of the Nogay Steppe . The great variety of relief is reflected in the soil and vegetation cover. The Nogay Steppe is largely semidesert, with sagebrush vegetation and wide areas of sand dunes. This gives way toward the south and southwest, near the Terek River, to feather-grass steppe on black earth and chestnut soils. Steppe also occupies the Terek and Sunzha valleys.

Up to 6,500 feet (2,000 metres) the mountain slopes are densely covered by forests of beech, hornbeam, and oak, above which are coniferous forests, then alpine meadows, and finally bare rock, snow, and ice. The climate varies but is, in general, continental. People Chechnya’s main ethnic group is the Chechens , with minorities of Russians and Ingush . The Chechens and the Ingush are both Muslim and are two of the many Caucasian mountain peoples whose language belongs to the Nakh group. Fiercely independent, the Chechens and other Caucasian tribes mounted a prolonged resistance to Russian conquest from the 1830s through the ’50s under the Muslim leader Shāmil . They remained successful while the Russians were occupied with the Crimean War , but the Russians used larger forces in their later campaigns, and, when Shāmil was captured in 1859, many of his followers migrated to Armenia . The Terek River remained a defensive frontier until the 1860s.

The constant skirmishes of Chechens and Russians along the Terek form the background to Leo Tolstoy’s novel The Cossacks. Economy Dagestan The backbone of the economy has been petroleum, and drilling was mainly undertaken in the Sunzha River valley between Grozny and Gudermes. Petroleum refining was concentrated in Grozny, and pipelines ran to the Caspian Sea (east) at Makhachkala and to the Black Sea (west) at Tuapse . Natural gas is also found in the area. Agriculture is largely concentrated in the Terek and Sunzha valleys. Transportation is mainly by rail, following the Terek and Sunzha valleys and linking with Astrakhan and Baku on the Caspian Sea and with Tuapse and Rostov on the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov . Motor roads join Grozny to other centres within and outside the republic. History The Chechen autonomous oblast (region) was created by the Bolsheviks in November 1920. In 1934 it was merged with the Ingush autonomous oblast to form a joint Chechen-Ingush autonomous region, which two years later was designated a republic.

During World War II (1939–45) the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin accused the Chechens and Ingush of collaboration with the Germans; consequently, both groups were subjected to mass deportations to Central Asia , and the republic of Checheno-Ingushetia was dissolved. The exiles later were allowed to return to their homeland, and the republic was reestablished under the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev in 1957. Exploring Russia: Fact or Fiction? Secessionist sentiments emerged in 1991 as the Soviet Union’s decline accelerated, and in August 1991 Dzhokhar Dudayev , a Chechen politician and former Soviet air force general, carried out a coup against the local communist government. Dudayev was elected Chechen president in October, and in November he unilaterally declared Chechnya’s independence from the Russian Federation (subsequently Russia). In 1992 Checheno-Ingushetia divided into two separate republics: Chechnya and Ingushetiya .

Dudayev pursued aggressively nationalistic, anti- Russian policies, and during 1994 armed Chechen opposition groups with Russian military backing tried unsuccessfully to depose Dudayev. Britannica Stories Ringling Bros. Folds Its Tent On December 11, 1994, Russian troops invaded Chechnya. Overcoming stiff resistance, the Russian forces took the capital city of Grozny (Dzhokhar) in March 1995. Chechen guerrilla resistance continued, however, and a series of cease-fires were negotiated and violated. In 1996 Dudayev was killed during Russian shelling, and the following year former guerrilla leader Aslan Maskhadov was elected president. Russian Pres. Boris Yeltsin and Maskhadov signed a provisional peace treaty in May 1997 but left the question of Chechnya’s eventual status undetermined. It was estimated that up to 100,000 people in Chechnya died and more than 400,000 were forced to flee their homes during the 1990s.

Russian troops, which had withdrawn from Chechnya after the agreements of the mid-1990s, returned in late 1999 after Prime Minister Vladimir Putin blamed Chechen secessionists for bombings that killed scores of civilians in Russia. (Evidence never proved Chechen involvement in the bombings.) Heavy fighting resumed. As Russian forces gained control of the republic, Chechen fighters, forced into the mountains and hills, continued to employ guerrilla tactics. In October 2002 a group of Chechen militants seized a Moscow theatre and took nearly 700 spectators and performers hostage. In the ensuing rescue operation, some 130 hostages died—mostly as the result of inhaling a narcotic gas released by security forces that was meant to incapacitate the Chechens. Following the incident, Russia stepped up military operations in Chechnya. In 2003 Chechen voters approved a new constitution that devolved greater powers to the Chechen government but kept the republic in the federation. The following year the Russian-backed Chechen president, Akhmad Kadyrov, was killed in a bomb blast allegedly carried out by Chechen guerrillas.

Russian forces, in turn, killed several top separatist leaders in 2005 and 2006. With Putin’s backing, Ramzan Kadyrov, the son of Akhmad Kadyrov, gained the Chechen presidency in 2007. Denying accusations by human rights groups that he employed kidnapping, torture, and murder to quash opposition, Kadyrov maintained the support of Russia, and in early 2009 he claimed that the insurgency had been crushed. That April, Russian Pres. Dmitry Medvedev announced that Russia had ended its counterinsurgency operations in the republic. Nevertheless, sporadic outbreaks of violence continued to occur. More about Chechnya Chechnya’s Capital Rises From the Ashes, Atop Hidden Horrors - The New York Times The New York Times Europe |Chechnya’s Capital Rises From the Ashes, Atop Hidden Horrors Search Continue reading the main story Photo A Chechen woman in her apartment, partly destroyed during years of war, in Grozny, in the Russian republic of Chechnya.

The regional authorities are rebuilding much of Grozny, but some of the construction sites sit on top of mass graves filled with the victims of two wars, which began in 1994. There has been no systematic prosecution of war crimes or identification of the dead. Credit Musa Sadulayev/Associated Press GROZNY, Russia — The surprise lay under tiles in the basement of the kindergarten on Kadyrov Street, found by laborers toiling here in the war zone turned construction site of Chechnya’s capital city. The bodies were exhumed and reburied with respect, though with nary a pause in the banging of hammers and plastering of walls to accommodate a forensic study of the basement. And that, human rights workers say, is nothing unusual in a city more or less at peace now, but with many grim basements and much rebuilding under way. “People died there, and now they just build a school,” Natalia Estemirova, a researcher with Memorial, a human rights group, said in an interview. Her group documented the discovery of the bodies last summer at the Zvyozdochka, or Starlet, kindergarten. She added: “We know people disappeared.

We know that most of them were killed. And we know we need to look for them with a shovel.” Advertisement Continue reading the main story Any systematic forensic work, though, could revive prickly questions for the departing Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin , about the prosecution of the war that, along with Russia’s economic revival, will serve as his legacy of the past eight years. As a result, Russia’s general policy toward mass graves in Chechnya is to leave them undisturbed. There are 57 known but unopened mass graves in the republic of Chechnya, which is about the size of Connecticut. Countless smaller grave sites lie beneath the capital’s parks, courtyards and basements. In Grozny, bulldozers, cranes and men with jackhammers work around and sometimes over graves from two wars, the first from 1994 to 1996 and the second that began in 1999. (The fighting now is sporadic and small in scale.) The city, besieged, bombarded and depopulated by war, has now become the scene of a frantic, oil-financed rebuilding effort. And the authorities point proudly to gleaming new buildings as symbols of the peace.

In the past year, after Russia installed the leader of one of its proxy militias, Ramzan Kadyrov, as president, 969 refugees have received new housing. A mosque that will accommodate 10,000 worshipers is rising on the central square, and scores of schools have been rebuilt. Yet, the graves in Grozny remain a vexing problem. At least a half dozen have been moved to make room for the rebuilding. In perhaps the most striking case, in April 2006, workers exhumed 57 bodies in Kirov Park to clear ground for a youth entertainment complex. During bombardments in 1999 and 2000, human rights workers say, residents buried relatives and unidentified victims in the park. Six bodies from that site were never identified, and were reburied in numbered graves in a cemetery. “Many, many bodies are found,” Ms. Estemirova said. The graves of Grozny grimly symbolize the peace that Russia has settled for here, one emphasizing physical reconstruction while leaving unaddressed the human scars of the war. There has been no systematic prosecution of war crimes or identification of the dead.

Just how many disappeared remains an open and contentious question. A human rights ombudsman for the Chechen government, Nurdi Nukhazhiyev, has identified 3,018 unsolved disappearances from the two wars. The remains of some of the missing surely are buried under construction sites. Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up Privacy Policy The regional prosecutor has offered a lower figure, saying that 2,747 Chechen civilians have filed missing persons reports, and that 574 of those have been resolved. Memorial, Ms. Estemirova’s group, put the number of people who disappeared at 3,000 to 5,000. Advertisement Continue reading the main story The mass graves have raised tensions between Russia and Europe. The Council of Europe, the human rights monitor, has made a major issue of the exhuming of mass graves and the identification of victims and their killers.

“There are a great number of families who have lost members to abductions,” Thomas Hammarberg, the council’s human rights commissioner, said during a visit to Chechnya this month. “So many people were affected by this it cannot simply be swept under the carpet.” But, of course, that is what is happening, as construction destroys evidence at the sites of war crimes. The building of the School for the Deaf on Minutka Square, for example, served as a temporary headquarters for Interior Ministry troops who became the focus of a rare, Russian war crimes investigation. The basement, witnesses said, was used for torture. One Russian officer was convicted of murder. Yet in 2006, the basement was filled with debris, ostensibly to stabilize the site for rebuilding the school, Ms. Estemirova said. And as building continues, even the question of how to link the names of the missing with the unidentified bodies in Grozny is contentious. The Council of Europe is encouraging Russia to embrace systematic forensic work in the graves, before too many are disturbed by the building. Mr.

Kadyrov’s government has endorsed a proposal to provide information about the disappeared anonymously on the Internet, separating the question of identification from the politically charged issue of culpability. Yet disappearances in Chechnya continue. As the Russian policy of “Chechenization” of the conflict has gained traction and, even critics grudgingly say, success in tamping down the violence, abuse by Russian soldiers has waned. Increasingly, the disappearances bear the hallmarks of Chechen-on-Chechen violence. Many Grozny residents still live in ruins, with yawning gaps in the walls. The city, though, is largely peaceful. Merchants sell cigarettes, stuffed animals and Red Bull energy drinks on the streets. Young men in police uniforms loiter on the sidewalks, spitting out sesame seed husks, Kalashnikovs slung over their shoulders. And the construction boom continues unabated. Advertisement Continue reading the main story But the building provides little solace to Adeni Idalova, a Grozny resident missing two sons. “Our children will never walk on these sidewalks of gold,” she said.

“What do we need them for?” A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A9 of the New York edition with the headline: Chechnya’s Capital Rises From the Ashes, Atop Hidden Horrors. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe Home | Mises Library | Why Russia Is Destroying Chechnya Why Russia Is Destroying Chechnya 0 Views 10/01/1999 Yuri N. Maltsev Russia’s ruling elite finds incessant armed conflicts necessary for its own survival. Having claimed that the intervention in Chechnya is meant to "punish terrorism" and defend Russians from Chechen terrorist bombings, Yeltsin’s government is unleashing another genocidal war against Chechnya and other Muslim parts of Russia. This perfectly illustrates the old Russian tradition of creating new problems, rather than solving existing ones. It also resembles the "Wag the Dog" scenario at least as much as US bombings of the Sudanese pharmaceutical plant on the eve of Monica Lewinsky’s testimony. Bombings of apartment complexes in Moscow and other Russian cities conveniently distract public attention from the grim reality of corruption at the very top of the Russian hierarchy.

In fact, there is little or no evidence linking any of the apartment bombings to "Chechen terrorists." General Aleksandr Lebed, one of the most popular candidates for the Russian presidency next year, believes that the so-called "terrorist bombings" were actually fabricated by the Kremlin itself. Chechen rebel leader Shamil Basayev has proudly claimed previous terrorist attacks on Russia, including a 1995 attack on a hospital in the village of Budyonnovsk, Southern Russia. This time, however, he denies having anything to do with the bombings. Like Lebed, Basayev believes these bombings are the work not of Chechens, but of the Kremlin or its politically active secret services, as a way of provoking chaos and swamping the coming presidential elections. Vladimir Putin, an ex-KGB operative, may be the lynch pin: he is trying to secure his claim to the presidency in June 2000 in the wake of the present nationalist hysteria. From Peter the Great to Stalin, the Russian people have been cajoled by their governments to rely upon conspiracy theories to explain why they require a massive government.

Today, the politically and economically bankrupt Yeltsin regime is attempting to boost its popularity by conducting a swift, victorious war against a convenient scapegoat: "Chechen terrorist wolves." (A wolf is the symbol of the Chechen Republic. This animal is respected among Chechens as a symbol of freedom and independence). Another strong motive for the war is to warn the other fifteen national republics of Russia to remain within the Federation. It is obvious that one of the real aims, rather than to destroy guerrilla commanders Basayev and Khattab, is to break Chechnya’s will and bring it back into Moscow’s orbit. More than 100,000 Chechen and ethnic Russian civilians in Chechnya were killed by Russian militarists during the war of 1994-1996. Russia has, for the third time, fallen into a trap. The first time was in Afghanistan. There, admits Lebed, "we began the war with lofty aims but ended up with a war against the people." A few years later, the same happened in the small, breakaway nation of Chechnya (which had been brutally conquered under both the tsars and the communists).

"People are fighting," continues Lebed, "to avenge their killed relatives and ruined homes. No military leader, no matter how brilliant he may be, has ever won a war against the people... That is why I reject all the talk of Russia's integrity and indivisibility. Is it possible to ensure the integrity of Russia by killing hundreds and maiming thousands of people every day?" "I am often asked," Lebed says, "if I know who is responsible for this war. Yes, I know all of them by name. I am also sure that this war has economic roots camouflaged in politics. Now is not the time to name these people, because chances are rather high that the war may resume with fresh force and on an even larger scale." The Chechen economy, already in dire straits after 75 years of the Soviet communism, was completely destroyed during two years of ferocious air attacks in 1994-96. Industrial plants, bridges, and municipal utilities were hit along with residential areas. Rapes and murders were carried out by Russian occupying forces. Bombings killed tens of thousands of civilians.

Al Gore visited Russia during the first day of the war in 1994 and promised Yeltsin unconditional US support in his genocidal campaign against Chechens. The next day Russian fighter-bombers and helicopter gun-ships completely destroyed the capital city of Grozny and numerous villages. Cowardly unfocused nighttime bombing went unpunished. While claiming that Chechnya’s residents were Russian Federation citizens, Russian authorities unleashed an unprecedented racist propaganda campaign against Chechens as a people. Putin publicly accused them of having a "criminal character" and of running organized crime networks in Russia. Russian statists from Aleksandr Barkashov, the leader of the Russian National Unity Party, which styles itself a fascist party, to Alexei Arbatov, the leader of the so called Liberal wing of Russian Duma, all endorsed the war in Chechnya. After the destruction, on December 27, 1994, Yeltsin announced that the bombing would stop. After all, there remain nothing more to bomb. The US Department of State praised this "goodwill gesture." The ongoing war on Chechnya brings back the memory of Stalin’s 1944 deportation of Chechens and Ingush.

The former speaker of the Russian parliament, Ruslan Khasbulatov (a Chechen himself), told me that more than half the Chechens were physically exterminated as a result of Stalin’s policy. Chechens I met in Grozny told me blood-freezing stories of deportation: people crowded into cattle cars without food, water, or sanitary facilities for several days and killings of innocent protesters at the railway stations by KGB guards. Ethnic and religious cleansing of the Northern Caucasian district was the vision of Josef Stalin–the Great Father of Nations. It was no surprise that these long suffering people declared their independence upon the collapse of the Soviet Union in December 1991. So did fifteen other nations recognized today by the United States and the world community. But Chechens were afforded no such favor. According to Stalin’s Constitution of 1936, only sister union republics were granted a right to independence–not autonomous republics like Chechnya. US policy has consistently deferred to Stalin’s Constitution.

Today the Clinton administration is still blindly pro-Yeltsin, and seems to hold that this attack on Chechnya is justified because of the "terrorist attacks," and because of the Chechen rebels' incursions into Dagestan. This position is similar to that of V. Zhirinovsky, who is openly anti-Muslim and anti-Turkish (he spent some time in a Turkish prison as an exchange student there) and the communist leader Gennadii Zyuganov are professing the preservation of Greater Russia and an expansion to the Southern Muslim world at large. Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov has ordered a crackdown on residency permits aimed at forcing Chechens and all other non-ethnic Russians out of the city. Today the Russian government, with the tacit blessing of the Clinton administration, continues its aggression against vastly inferior but, apparently, highly motivated Chechen freedom fighters. US taxpayers are paying for this war by financing economic and military aid to Russia. This is the true "money laundering" scam. Russian airstrikes have hammered Chechnya, killing civilians, destroying homes, taking television and radio off the air, and wrapping the capital of Grozny in the acrid smoke of raging fires.

As thousands fled the capital—either on foot or in cars and trucks loaded down with furniture–the Chechen leadership called for emergency negotiations with Moscow. Moscow responded with combative rhetoric and continued the bombing of Grozny. Russian government statements tend to reinforce fears that another deportation may be soon to come. Those fears stem not only from the sad memory of the 1944 terror deportation of Chechens and Ingush, but also from the 1994 and 1995 ferocious ethnic cleansing of the Ingush population from Prigorodnyi Raion–something completely ignored by the pro-Yeltsen media and governments of the West. The immorality of Russian actions and of Clinton’s support of Yeltsin are apparent. So is the futility of hoping to win the war: Russia and its army are in decay and Chechens have a long history of resisting tyranny. "Instead of the hammer-blow of a great-power fist," comments the St. Petersburg Times, "what we saw was the clumsy groping of fat blindly spread fingers." The end result will be more corpses of Russian soldiers and innocent Chechen civilians. There are two possible solutions to these atrocities.

The Russian government can immediately curb its military ambitions and dramatically trim its size and role in the lives of its people. Or it can permit independent-minded regions like Chechnya to secede and go their own way. Either would be a humane and peaceful alternative to the bloodshed that is has taken place in the name of nation building.

Question: What is the capital city of Chechnya?
Answer: GROZNY